Toaster control using negative temperature co-efficient resistor



June 23, 1959 A. J. HUCK 2,391,463

TOASTER CONTROL USING NEGATIVE TEMPERATURE CO-'EFFICIENT RESISTOR Original Filed May 27, 1950 ZSheets-Sheet 1 June 23, 1959 A. J. HUCK TOASTER CONTROL USING NEGATIVE TEMPERATURE? CO-EFFICIENT RESISTOR 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed May 27, 1950 fl/frea 1/ 2516/6 Unite States Patent TOASTER CONTROL USIN G NEGATIVE TEM- PERATURE CO-EFFICIENT RESISTOR Alfred J. Huck, St. Louis, Mo.

Original application May 27, 1950, Serial No. 164,677, now Patent No. 2,806,421, dated September 17, 1957. Divided and this application July 29, 1957, Serial No. 674,910

3 Claims. (Cl. 99-329) This invention relates to an automatic control for toasters and the like wherein a temperature sensitive element responds to the surface temperature of the toast for terminating a toasting operation. The instant application is a division of my co-pending application, Serial No. 164,677, 'flled May 27, 1950, and now issued as US. Patent No. 2,806,421, issued September 17, 1957.

One object of the invention is to provide a toaster control of this general character in which the temperature responsive element comprises a negative temperature coeflicient resistor so located with respect to heating elements of the toaster and the slice of bread being toasted that it responds to the temperature of a substantial portion of the surface of the toast and is so shielded from radiant heat from the toaster heating elements as to make the response primarily to the surface temperature of the toast to the substantial exclusion of the temperature effect of the heating elements.

Another object is to provide a temperature responsive element responding to the surface temperature of the toast which element involves an operating principle having inherently large safety factors which insure against erratic operation because of a combination of two radical characteristics, (1) the radical rate of change of resistance in a negative temperature coeflicient resistor with temperature change, and (2) the radical rate of change of heat radiated from the toast as it attains medium toast color.

A further object is to provide a simple arrangement for accurately controlling the termination of the toasting cycle regardless of the moisture content of the bread, the variation in intervals between toasting cycles, variations of toaster compartment temperatures which become higher the longer the toaster is operated, and. other factors.

Still a further object is to provide an automatic control for a toaster in which means is responsive to radiant heat from the toast to effect a control function.

With these and other objects in view, my invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of the various parts of my toaster control using a negative temperature coeflicient resistor, whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter. more fully set forth, pointed out in my claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a toaster to which my automatic control has been applied, a portion being broken away to show the temperature responsive element;

Figure 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional view on the line 22 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a sectional vertical view on the line 3--3 of Figure 2, this section being in the control compartment and a portion being broken out and a section through the toasting compartment shown on the line 3a3a of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a sectional view on the line 4-4 of Figure 3 showing a plan view of the mechanism in the control compartment; 1

Figure 5 is an enlarged horizontal sectional view on the line 55 of Figure 3;

Figure 6 is an enlarged vertical sectional view on the line 66 of Figure 2;

Figure 7 is a diagrammatic view similar to Figure 5 showing a modified construction; and

Figure 8 is an electrodiagrammatic view of my toaster control.

On the accompanying drawings I have used the reference numeral 10 to indicate a base preferably formed of insulating material. A casing 11 of sheet metal is mounted thereon for enclosing the toaster mechanism and the control mechanism therefor. The space within the housing 10 is divided into a toasting compartment 12 and a control compartment 13 by a wall 14.

Bread carriers 15 are mounted for vertical movement, being carried at the front end by a bracket 16 and a similar bracket at the rear (not shown), the bracket 16 extending through a slot 17 in the wall 14 and on through a slot 18 in the casing 11 to a bread carrier depressing knob 19 on the outside of the casing.

To maintain the ends of the bread carriers 15 at the same level, they are connected by a pair of links 20 with a pair of arms 21 which are pivoted at 22 to the wall 14. and a similar wall 14a at the opposite end of the toaster. The element 21a is a rigid connector between the arms 21.

To normally keep the bread carriers 15 in a raised position, a spring 23 is provided connected with the bracket 16 and with a bracket 14a at the upper end of the wall 14. Obviously when the knob 19 is depressed the spring 23 will be stretched and when the knob is released the spring will return the bread carriers to elevated position except for a latch of my control structure which will be described later.

a latch lever 24 pivoted at 25 and having a hook 26 to The latching arrangement just referred to comprises engage a flange 27 of the bracket 16 when it is depressed. The flange first engages the top of the lever 24 to the right of the pivot in Figure 3 to swing the lever from the elevated position it normally assumes due to the action of a spring 28 whereupon the book 26 assumes a position overhanging the flange 27 as shown by dotted lines in Figure 3.

During the depressing action, the outer end 29 of the lever 24 engages a latch 30 pivoted at 31 and swings it nearly to the dotted position of Figure 4 to permit the. end 29 to pass under the latch 30 after which the latch is returned by a spring 32 against a stop 33 for holding the lever 24 in the lowered position and likewise the bread carriers 15 in the toasting position.

.The latch 30 is connected with an armature 34 adapted to be attracted by a core 35 of an electromagnet 36. The magnet is connected with a magnet bracket 37, the magnet and the bracket being supported by a plate 38 pivoted at 39. The plate has a flange 40 engaged against an adjusting screw 41 by a spring 42.- The adjusting screw is carried by a bracket 43 pivoted at 44 and limited in its motion by a rivet 45 and a slot 46.

An adjusting knob 47 is frictionally engaged on a fluted portion 48 of the adjusting screw 41 so that it can be removed and adjusted relative thereto. The knob is limited to approximately a half revolution of adjustment by a hub 49 extending part way therearound and a lug 50 from the bracket 43.

The control device described in the foregoing specification is mounted on a base plate 51 which in turn is mounted on a bottom plate 9. The plate 9 is mounted 15 is provided with an insulating button 55 to engage the switch arm 54 whose contact is normally out of en gagement with the contact of the arm 53. When the button 55 engages the arm 54 contacts are closed prior to the bread carrier being fully depressed to the latched position.

i For controlling the action of the. electromagnet 36 I provide a temperature responsive element in the form of a bar 56 of resistance material having a negative temperature. coefficient (designated NTC on the drawings). Resistors of this character change radically in resistance in response to temperature changes with a decrease in resistance as the temperature rises.

I have made many tests to determine the surface temperature of bread which is being toasted. I have found that as it reaches the medium shade of toast color very uniform temperature readings resulted each time, regardless of Whether the toaster was hot from previous toasting or whether the bread was relatively moist or dry. I therefore provide a negative temperature coefficient resistor responsive to the toast surface temperature such as the element 56 which is preferably elongated as illustrated in Figure 2 and located in a cut-out area 57 'of the heating elements HE as illustrated. The heating elements therefore radiate heat to all but the central portion of the slice of toast and radiate enough heat to that portion to make it almost the same color as the rest of the slice or at least not objectionably lighter. The negative temperature coefficient resistor 56 is preferably located at the center of the slice so as to obtain maximum response to average or over-all temperature of the surface of the toast.

The negative temperature coefficient resistor 56 may be mounted in various Ways, one form of mounting being shown in Figures and 6 comprising terminal rods or wires 58 and 59 soldered to fired silver paint coatings 60 and 61 of the negative temperature coefflcient resistor. The terminals 58 and 59 extend through insulating bushings 62 supported by a shield 63. The shield in turn is supported by a bar 64 connected at its. lower end at 64a to the base plate 9 and its upper end by a rivet 64b to a cross bar 65 as shown in Figure 3.

The shield 63 is so shaped that it shields the negative temperature coeflicient resistor 56 from direct radiant heat from the heating elements HE and tends to gather and concentrate heat from the surface of the slice of toast indicated at 66 on the resistor for maximum response thereof to a relatively larger area of the toast than the area of the resistor itself. The negative temperature coefiicient resistor is blackened on the bread side for maximum heat absorption from the bread surface and bright on the back side for maximum reflection of heat from the heating element back to the toaster shell so that the main response of the resistor is actually to the toast surface temperature.

The negative temperature coeflicient resistor 56 is provided in a control circuit as shown in Figure 8 including the electromagnet 36 in series with it across the heating elements HE. The heating elements are in series with the switch blades 53 and 54 to be controlled by them. The blades when open also cut oif the current supply to the negative temperature coeflicient resistor 56 and the electromagnet 36.

Practical operation The control knob 47 may be set at the desired position for the color of toast desired such as light, medium or dark. The slices of bread are placed on the carriers and the knob 19 is depressed which causes the insulating button 55 to engage the switch blade 54 and close its contact against the contact of the switch blade 53: The flange 27 of the bracket 61 depresses the latch lever 24 from the solid line position of Figure 3 to the dotted line position where it is latched under the latch 30,

Closure of the contacts of the. main switch (blades 53 and 54) energizes the heating elements HE as evident in Figure 8 and also establishes a circuit through the negative temperature coefncient resistor 56 and the electromagnet 36. Since the toaster is cool the resistance of the resistor 56 is relatively high and thus insuflicient current flows through the coil 36 to produce enough magnetism in the core 35 and the core bracket 37' to attract thearmat-ure 34.

As the bread is toasted, its temperature rises increasing to about the same temperature for all slices of bread when they attain about the same color, regardless of the moisturecontent. The surface temperature is radiated to the negative temperature coefiicient resistor, the shield 63 aiding in the collection of the radiant heat rays emitted and the concentration thereof on the resistor.

At the desired color setting of the knob 47, current through the resistor has increased to a point where it magnetizes the elements 35 and 37 of the electromagnet sufiiciently for attracting the armature 34 against the bias of the spring 32, thus moving the armature tothe dotted position of Figure 4 which releases the latch arm 24 so that the flange 27 can be slipped from under the; hook by the action of the spring 23, thus raising the, bracket 16 and the bread carriers 15 to open the circuit at the main switch 53--54 and to raise the toast to an elevatedposition. The toasting operation is thereby terminated since the heating elements are cut off at this time by the main switch.

By shielding the negative temperature coefficient re: sistor 56 from heat radiated from the heating elements; and concentrating heat radiated from the surface of the; toast by means of the shield 63, the resistance of theresistor decreases sufiiciently for operating the electro: magnetically controlled latch 39 and the toasting interval, can be lengthened by the adjusting knob 47 moving the; core 35 and the core bracket 37 away from the armature 34 or can be decreased by moving them towardthe; armature.

The use of a negative temperature coefficient resistor causes a radical control characteristic and thus provides a; positive means of termniating the cycle when the re: sistor attains a certain temperature due to heat absorption; from the bread. The electromagnet 36 attainssufficient magnetization to attract the armature 34 and trip the latch 30 by virue of the fact that the current in the coil of theelectromagnet builds up to a certain trip value as the temperature of the resistor increases and its resistance, therefore decreases. Since the coil is in series with the resistor, this trip value of current is dictated almost entirely by the exact value of the resistance of the resistor. When the resistance of the resistor decreases to less than the resistance or impedance of the coil 36, the coil etfects tripping of the latch.

A negative temperature coefficient resistor suitable for; our purpose is one which starts at about 1,000ohms resistance at room temperature and decreases to about 600 ohms at degrees, 400 ohms at degrees, 200 ohms at 275 degrees, 100 ohms at 340 degrees, and 50 ohms at 400 degrees. Comparing the ohmage values and the temperatures just enumerated, it will be realized that after about 300 degrees, the resistance value drops 011 at a very rapid rate so that the coil 36 can be matched with the negative temperature coefficient resistor used to secure trip-out of the coil within very close temperature limits.

If it is desired to terminate the toasting operation manually before it is automatically terminated, this can be accomplished by pushing in on the, knob 47 which swings the bracket 38 about the pivot 39 to cause a pin 67 of the bracket to engage a finger 68 on the latch 30. and move the latch to the dotted position of Figure 4, all three parts 43, 38 and 30 being shown dotted in this figure to illustrate .the manual release.

Referring to Figure 7, if the heating elementsI-IE aflect the negative temperature coefficient resistor 56 more-thandesired, secondary and tertiary shields 63a and 63b may be provided spaced from the shield 63 as shown diagrammatically. This provides air spaces between the shields and these spaces would be ventilated to some extent by the natural draft in the toaster. Thus it is possible to get any degree of predominance of response of the resistor to the toast surface temperature and minimize response to heating element temperature so astosecure most accurate results.

'F'rom the foregoing-specification, it will be obvious that I have provided a toaster cycle controller in which the heat radiated from the toast is used to perform the control function. As the bread darkens during the last stages of the toasting interval, the resistance of the resistor 56 decreases radically to supply the necessary current for terminating the toaster operation at the desired toast color, regardless of voltage variation, freshness of bread, Waiting time between toasting cycles, and similar variables which adversely aifect the usual control switches and timers used in connection with toasters.

The operating principle disclosed has an inherently large safety factor against erratic operation because of the combination of two radical characteristics, the radical rate of change of the negative temperature coeflicient resistance relative to temperature change, and the radical rate of change of heat radiated from the toast as it attains the desired color. Thus, the control device disclosed is not particularly critical and can be nicely adjusted for the desired color of toast in the range between the usual designation of light toast and dark toast.

A relatively small resistor can be used for sensing the toast surface temperature so that a minimum cut-out of the center of the heating element as indicated at 57 is necessary, thus minimizing the slightly lighter spot at the center of the slice of toast. Also, by elongating the resistor as disclosed and arranging it parallel with the long center of the slice, the size of such light spot is minimized, particularly because it is relatively narrow. It seems necessary, however, to slightly space the edge of the shield 63 from the opening 57 in the heating elements, and double and triple shield arrangements are somewhat superior to the single shield arrangement.

Some changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of the parts of my toaster control using a negative temperature coeificient resistor without departing from the real spirit and purpose of my invention, and it is my intention to cover by my claims any modified forms of structure or use of mechanical equivalents which may be reasonably included within their scope.

I claim as my invention:

1. An electric toaster comprising, in combination, electrically energizable heating elements, a normally open energizing circuit for said heating elements, bread slice holding means including latch means for holding a bread slice in a toasting position adjacent said heating elements and for closing said normally open circuit when said bread slice is in said toasting position, a toasting interval control means including an electrically energized control circuit that is energized simultaneously when said normally open energizing circuit is closed and which is de-energized when said energizing circuit is opened, said control circuit having a control coil operatively connected directly with a portion of said latch means to effect release of said latch means when said coil is energized by an operative current flow therethrough, and a negative temperature coefiicient resistor in said control circuit which controls the current flow through said coil, said coil and resistor being selected and arranged so that when the control circuit is initially energized the current flow through said coil is limited by said resistor to a level which is insufficient to energize the coil to effect release of said latch means, said resistor being spaced from a bread slice being toasted and being located to face a toasted surface of the bread slice so that said resistor intercepts and receives only radiant heat from said toasted bread slice, said resistor being responsive to a predetermined radiant energy emission from said toasted surface of the bread slice to effect reduction in the resistance of said resistor to permit increased flow of current through said coil at a level sufiicient to energize the coil to operate said portion of the latch means which is operatively connected directly to said coil and to effect release of said latch means, and means operative upon release of said latch means to elfect opening of said energizing circuit to terminate the bread toasting interval.

v 2. An electric toaster comprising,'in combination, electrically energizable heating elements, a normally open energizing circuit for said heating elements, bread slice holding means including latch means for holding a bread slice in a toasting position adjacent said heating elements and for closing said normally open circuit when said bread slice is in said toasting position, a toasting interval control means including an electrically energized control circuit that is energized simultaneously when said normally open energizing circuit is closed and which is de-energized when said energizing circuit is opened, said control circuit having a control coil operatively connected directly with a portion of said latch means to effect release of said latch means when said coil is energized by an operative current flow therethrough, and a negative temperature coefiiicient resistor in said control circuit which controls the current flow through said coil, said coil and resistor being selected and arranged so that when the control circuit is initially energized the current flow through said coil is limited by said resistor to a level which is insufficient to energize the coil to effect release of said latch means, said resistor being spaced from a bread slice being toasted and being located to face a toasted surface of the bread slice so that said resistor intercepts and receives only radiant heat from said toasted bread slice, said resistor being responsive to a predetermined radiant energy emission from said toasted surface of the bread slice to efiect reduction in the resistance of said resistor to permit increased flow of current through said coil at a level sufiicient to energize the coil to operate said portion of the latch means which is operatively connected directly to said coil and to effect release of said latch means, means operative upon release of said latch means to effect opening of said energizing circuit to terminate the bread toasting interval, and means shielding said resistor from adjacent heating elements for limiting the response of said negative temperature coefiicient resistor to that effected solely by the radiant energy emitted from said toasted bread and to the exclusion of radiant energy from said heating elements.

3. An electric bread toaster comprising, in combination, a pair of electrically energizable heating elements, a normally open energizing circuit for said heating elements, bread slice holding means including latch means for holding a bread slice in a toasting position between said heating elements and for closing said normally open energizing circuit to maintain said heating elements energized when said bread slice is in said toasting position, a toasting interval control means including an electrically energized control circuit that is energized simultaneously when said normally open energizing circuit is closed and which is de-energized when said energizing circuit is opened, said control circuit having a control coil operatively connected directly with a portion of said latch means to efiect release of said latch means when said coil is energized by an operative current flow therethrough, and a negative temperature coefficient resistor in said control circuit which controls the current flow through said coil, said coil and resistor being selected and arranged so that 'when the control circuit is initially energized the current flow through said coil is limited by said resistor to a level which is insufficient to energize the coil to efiect release of said latch means, said resistor being spaced from a bread slice being toasted and being searsa in the resistance of said resistor to permit increasedflow of current throughsaid coil at a level sufficient to energizethe coil to operate said portion of the latch means which is operatively'connected directly to said coiland to eifect release of said latch means, means operative upon release of said latch means to effect opening of said energizing circuit to terminate the bread toasting iIlfl-ZIVQI; and means-shielding said resistor from adjacentheatingelementsfor limiting the responseof said'negativetemperature coefiicient' resistor to; that efiected solely-by the radiant energy emitted from said toasted bread' and to the exclusion of'radiant energy from said" heating elements;

References Cited in'the' file of this patents UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,042,595 Graham's v Junel, 1936: 2,110,748 Tweedale' Mar-. 8, 1938 2,316,872 Kernen Apr.. 20; 1943 2,45l9, l69. Koci Jan. 18; 1949- 2,615,386 Palmer Oct. 28, 1952'v 2,806,421- Huck Sept; 17, 1957- 

